Local Elections 2021: Independence Day Again?

Ballot to Talk About

In the second of a three-part series on the 2021 UK local and regional election results, this episode takes a closer look at the Scottish Parliament results, as the SNP fell just one seat short of a second majority. This episode also takes a look at the removal of Liz Cheney as the House Republican Conference Chair, and what this says about the state of the US Republican Party in the post-Trump age.

Nicola Sturgeon will continue as First Minister after leading her Scottish National Party to 64 seats in the 129 seat Parliament, extending the SNP’s 14 years in power. Sam and Chern look at these results in closer detail and talk about what this could mean for Scottish politics going forward, and the battle for independence. The Conservatives have retained the primary opposition spot equalling their best ever Holyrood performance, but did they have realistic expectations of improving that position? Will the SNP be disappointed with this result? What is the impact of this election on the battle to be granted another independence referendum? Scottish Labour lost seats for the sixth successive time – why did Anas Sarwar’s positive approval ratings not translate into a better performance? All these questions and more answered in this week's episode.

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